The major problems faced by users of such chains reside on the one hand, in their installation on the vehicle wheels in question, and on the other hand, in the relatively high weight of the metal chains.
Due to the inherent purpose of such a product, they are installed in generally difficult conditions, because the user normally waits until the very last moment, that is when there is no longer any adhesion, before installing them, hence in an often substantial thickness of snow. Furthermore, the installation of these chains is laborious, because the adhesion means that they must be correctly positioned on the tread of the wheels in question, besides their proper adjustment thereon, to prevent the accidental skipping of the chains when the wheel rotates, as well as the undesirable noise that it inevitably generates.
In order to overcome these drawbacks, chains of the type in question have been proposed, for example in document WO 00/59745 comprising a belt made essentially from a textile material and suitable for surrounding the tread of the wheel concerned. This textile belt is kept in place by means of flexible internal and external side portions. In this document, the tread consists of a lattice made from PVC coated with a polyester and even with rubber or polyurethane, in order to confer the necessary strength on the textile material employed.
However, although these chains offer a non-negligible gain in weight compared to conventional chains, they are, as a corollary, accompanied by a complication of the manufacturing process, impacting their production cost.